Treatment of meal, flour or milling products



Patented May' 16, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHAN FRANQOIS BARTHOLD VAN HASSELT, OF AMERSFOORT, NETHERLANDS, AS-

SIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 CHEMISCHE INDUSTRIE VAN HASSELT, 0F AMERSFOORT', NETHERLANDS, A DUTCH COMPANY, AND ADRIANUS KLEIJ N, OF ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS TREATMENT OF MEAL, FLOUR OR MILLING PRODUCTS No Drawing. Appiication filed February 28, 1929, Serial No. 343,565, and in, the Netherlands March 20, 1928.

It is known that nitrogen oxides and derivatives thereof such as nitrosylchloride, are excellent means for bleaching flour and improving its baking qualities.

ing accomplished in a few seconds after the bleaching substance has been mixed with the flour.

The object of the present invention 1s to combine the advantages of bleaching by means of solidsubstances with the advantages of bleaching by means of nitrogenoxygen compounds by introducing the latter in an easily measurable and handy form, i. e. as finely pulverized solid substances or solutions. In this way the bleaching agent can be easily transported and accurately measured. The finely pulverized solid substances or the solutions'may contain the bleaching agent adsorbed, dissolved, chemically bound or simply mixed therewith, but the substances must always be such that when mixed with the flour the desired bleaching nitrogen compounds develop very quickly.

According to the invention I employ a non-gaseous composition containing at least one substance belonging to a nitrosyl group from which a bleaching nitrogen compound is formed as soon as said composition is mixed with flour of ordinary moisture content. The composition may be used for bleaching various kinds of meal and flour and milling products generally, including potato flour.

The substance belonging to a nitrosyl preferably a non-oxidizing acid.

group from which a bleaching nitrogen compound is formed when mixed with flour of ordinary moisture content, may be av mixed anhydride of nitrous acid and another acid, A suitable substance is N 0 which may be regarded as a mixed anhydride of nitrous acid and nitric acid.

This substance may be used dissolved in a suitable solvent. Another suitable substance is nitrosylchloride, which is a mixed anhydride of nitrous acid and hydrochloric acid. This substance may be used in the form of a double compound with metallic chlorides such as ferric chloride, stannio chloride, titanic chloride and the like from which, in the presence of moisture, the gas NOCl is liberated exceedingly rapidly and further decomposes or is capable of decomposition into N 0 and H01.

Other suitable substances are nitrosyl acetic acid, nitrosyl benzoic acid, nitrosyl se lenic acid, the compound 80 N 0 (melting point 200 (3., see Pictet, Chem. Centralblatt 1909, vol. 1, page 340) and especially nitrosyl sulfuric acid.

As stated above, according to the inven- I tion all these substances are used in combination with solid or liquid substances, in which they are adsorbed, dissolved, chemically bound or simply mixed in such manner that the whole composition can easily be handled and does not develop the dangerous gaseous nitrosyl compounds before admixture with the fiouror meal. It is however evident that the treating compositions- As solutions there may be mentioned those of N 0 in any suitable solvent, as for example glacial acetic acid, benzene or the like, also solutions of nitrosylchloride in benzene, toluene or glacial acetic acid etc. The solid and liquid compounds may also be combined by applying, for instance, solutions of the abovementioned double compounds of nitrosylchloride with ferric chloride, stannic chloride, titanic chloride or the like. Chlorine and/or bromine may also be dissolved therein, whereby compounds such as N001 may be formed, thus uniting the advantages of the chlorine treatment (Kent Jones, Modern Cereal Chemistry, page 17, 2-1) and bleaching.

As already observed, the active agent in the composition according to the invention is a substance belonging to the nitrosyl group, from which a gaseous bleaching nitrogen compound is formed when the composition is mixed with flour of ordinary moisture content. Though the moisture con tent present in ordinary flour is more than sufficient to decompose the active substances in the composition at ordinary temperature, and the gaseous nitrosyl compounds formed thereby have a bleaching action and improve the baking qualities of flour, it may be that in some cases an actual decomposition does not occur, but that the active substance acts with its entire molecule directly on the colouring matter in the flour. It has been observed that the action of nitrosyl sulfuric acid, in the form in which it is used according to the invention, is quicker and better than the action of an equivalent quantity of gaseous nitrogen oxides.

As the substances according to the invenmosses with the moisture of the meal, flour and milling products to yield a gaseous nitrogen bleaching compound.

2. A process for treating meal, flour and milling products which normally contain moisture which comprises adding thereto, in combination with a solvent, a small quantity of a substance selected from the group consisting of nitrosyl chloride-ferric chloride, nitrosyl chloride-stannic chloride, nitrosyl chloride-titanic chloride, nitrosyl acetic acid, nitrosyl benzoic acid, nitrosyl selenic acid, and the compound represented by the formula SO N O which substances react with the moisture normally contained in the meal, flour and milling products to yield a gaseous nitrogen bleaching compound.

3. A process for treating meal, flour and milling products which normally contain moisture which comprises adding thereto solid material comprising a small quantity of a substance selected from the group consisting of nitrosyl chloride-ferric chloride, nitrosyl chloride-stannic chloride, nitrosyl chloride-titanic chloride, nitrosyl acetic acid. nitrosyl benzoic acid, nitrosyl sclenic acid, and the compound represented by the formula SO N O which substances react with the moisture normally contained in the meal, flour and milling products to yield a gaseous nitrogen bleaching compound.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

.lOl-KAN FRANQOIS BARTHOLD van HASSELT.

tion act very quickly at ordinary temperature, it is suficient to mix them well with the flour or meal and no after-treatment is necessary, though of course if desired, any after-treatment may be used and is within the scope of the present invention.

Ema'mple 1 1 part of a mixture of 1 part of nitrosyl sulphuric acid and 1 part of active silicic acid is mixed in an agitator with 20.000 parts of flour. The flour instantly attains a fresh yellow colour.

Example 2 moisture which comprises adding thereto a.

small quantity of an' intimate mixture of nitrosyl sulphuric acid and a solid substance, the nitrosyl sulphuric acid of which reacts 

